Dispensing container for tablets and the like



Oct. 18, 1938. R. o. BAKER 1 DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR TABLETS ANDTHE LIKE Fi ied Jan. 19, 1938 In Men to P. .fi 6, Ric/MM OBO/ker'.

Patented Oct. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OEFHCE DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR TABLETS AND THE LIKE Application January 19, 1938, Serial No. 185,680 In Canada November 12, 1936 2 Claims.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a small container of a size and shape to be conveniently carried in the pocket or hand bag, which will not be liable to be opened accidentally to spill the contents in the pocket or bag, but is provided with a cover which may be very readily operated to open a small orifice to permit the dispensing of the contents one at a time or in easily controlled small quantities.

A further and important object is to devise a container which may be manufactured at low cost and in which the cover or closure is easily and quickly assembled in a restricted operative position.

The principal feature of the invention consists in the novel construction of a container having resilient side walls flanged to engage in friction sliding contact with the longitudinally grooved edges of a cover, and in which the cover is provided with a bevelled latch member adapted to slip over the end wall of the container in being assembled thereon and after being assembled to engage the inner side of the end wall of the container to form a stop member to limit the movement of the cover, so that only a small area of the top of the container will be opened and thus'form a restricted dispensing orifice.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved container showing its cover in the closed position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the cover in the dispensing position uncovering a small area of the container.

Figure 3 is a part sectional side elevation showing the container closed.

Figure 4 is a part sectional side elevation showing the cover in the open or dispensing position.

Figure 5 is a part sectional side elevation showing the cover in the act of being assembled on the container.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 6-43 of Figure 4.

Figure '7 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the underside of the cover removed from the container.

In the dispensing of small tablets or pills it is desirable to provide a container which may be conveniently carried in the pocket or hand bag, and from which the contents may be shaken one at a time or only a few at a time when the pills or tablets are very small.

In the device illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the body l of the container is preferably moulded in a unitary piece of thermo-plastic material with thin side walls 2 and rounded end walls 3.

Both of the side walls are formed with a slightly enlarged and inwardly bevelled top edge portion 4 and one of the end walls 5 is depressed at the top thereof to the level of the bottom of the bevel of the side walls.

The cover 6 is formed with longitudinal bevelled grooves I along the sides forming a dovetailed centre portion 8, the bevelled side walls of which lit in sliding contact with the inwardly bevelled top edges 4 of the side walls of the container and the projecting flange edges 9 engage the top edges of the container.

The under face of the portion 8 of the cover when placed on the container is level with the top edge of the depressed end wall 5 and the cover is formed with a lug l0 extending downwardly therefrom. This lug has a bevelled under side and a perpendicular end H, which forms a latch to engage the inner side of the end wall 5.

The lug I6 is bevelled so that when the cover is being assembled, the sloping surface will ride freely over the end wall 5, while the dove-tailed portion of the cover is gripped between the bevelled side walls. These walls being resilient, spring outwardly under the slight upward pressure caused by the lug l0 mounting the end wall, but they snap back into the bevelled grooves when the lug slips over the end wall, thus causing the perpendicular end of the lug to extend below the top of the end wall and thus form a limiting stop to the cover. This lug is placed at any desired position to allow the cover to be opened a predetermined distance to form the desired dispensing opening, but it forms a positive stop to prevent the cover being opened too far or displaced from the container.

The resilient pressure contact of the side walls against the dove-tailed portion 8 of the cover prevents the cover from sliding accidentally and suitable cross ridges l2 are preferably formed on the top surface of the cover to facilitate its operation with the thumb or finger. These cross ridges may be arranged in any desirable position.

What I claim as my invention is:-

l. A dispensing container having resilient flanged side walls, a rigid cover slidably engaging said flanged walls and capable of assembly therewith only by the flexing of said resilient side walls, and means co-operatively interposed between said container and said rigid cover for automatically flexing said side walls including a stop member extending from the cover adapted 10 a distance such that it engages the inner side of said end wall only after a predetermined opening movement of the cover, the flanged walls of the container and the cover presenting co-operative surfaces bevelled in predetermined relation to the bevel of said lug whereby the riding of the bevelled lug over the end wall flexes the resilient side walls to effect a locked assembly of the parts.

RICHARD O. BAKER. 

